U.S. presidential election, 1972
| Presidential Candidate | Electoral Vote | Popular Vote | Pct | Party | Running Mate (Electoral Votes) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richard M. Nixon (W) | 520 | 46,740,323 | 60.7% | Republican | Spiro T. Agnew (520) |
| George McGovern | 17 | 28,901,598 | 37.5% | Democrat | R. Sargent Shriver (17) |
| John Hospers | 1 | 3,676 | 0.0% | Libertarian | Theodora Nathan (1) |
| Other | 0 | 1,374,584 | 1.8% | ||
| Total | 538 | 77,718,514 | 100.0% | ||
| Other elections: 1960, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1980, 1984 | |||||
| Source: U.S. Office of the Federal Register | |||||
George McGovern ran on a platform of ending the Vietnam War and instituting guaranteed minimum incomes for the nation's poor. Between difficulties with his running-mate, Thomas Eagleton (who he eventually dropped and replaced with Sargent Shriver), and the Republicans' successful campaign to paint him as unacceptably radical, he suffered a 61%-38% defeat to sitting President Richard Nixon.
Conservative congressman John G. Schmitz of the American Party was on the ballot in 32 states and received 1,099,482 popular votes.
John Hospers of the newly formed Libertarian Party was on the ballot only in Colorado and Washington and received only 3,673 popular votes. However, he was given one electoral vote by Republican delegate Roger MacBride. This election had the lowest voter turnout for a presidential election since 1948, with only 55 percent of the electorate voting.
Spiro T. Agnew resigned as Vice President October 10, 1973, the first Vice President to resign; He was succeeded by Gerald R. Ford, the first Vice President to be appointed without a national election.
Richard M. Nixon resigned as President August 9, 1974. He was succeeded by Gerald R. Ford. The again vacant position of Vice-President was then filled by Nelson A. Rockefeller.
Timeline
See also: President of the United States, U.S. presidential election, 1972
